Voracious
by Vinividivinci
Summary: Jack is captured by a hungry creature and it's up to his team to save him.  General team whumping and adventure.  NO SHIP - I promise
1. Cooked Goose

_**This will be a short 'team-fic' for those of my readers who asked for a 'non-ship' story. So, here you go (however, if I have to give up my ship I refuse to give up my Jack-whump too – so it's full of that – and probably some Danny and/or Sam whump– just general all around whumpiness!). I promise there is no ship nor will there be ship in this story. I would like you all to know, however, that in my mind there is ALWAYS ship – it just won't appear here.**_

_**Don't worry – I will faithfully work on my other story The Camping Trip. I'm in Florida for a few days and plan to sit under a palm tree, Margarita in hand and laptop in gear and write many chapters!**_

_**So – for all you non-shippers (and hopefully you shippers who like adventure and whump) – here you go. Please know it was very hard for me!**_

"GO, GO, GO", he yelled to his team as he stepped into the clearing. He watched as they each looked at him to make sure he was safe and then, one by one, they ran through the event horizon. He was almost there – he almost made it before -

It had been a simple mission, or so they'd thought. SG9 had done a simple reconnaissance trip and had found no life on the planet. What they had found were ruins – big, honkin, crumbled ruins – the kind he hated but the kind Jackson loved. When Daniel had seen the pictures he'd practically drooled on them and so had started his campaign to get SG1 to go back and take a look.

Jack had firmly said no, and no, and no, and no. But Daniel had much in comparison with a drip of water – he just kept going until the rock, or in this case the Colonel, wore down. Finally, in desperation Jack had said 'maybe'. Well, as any parent knows, maybe means yes. It's the parent's way of giving in but pretending to not quite be there yet. And, just like kids everywhere, Daniel rejoiced, knowing he'd won.

So, the next day they were dressed and ready to go to PX Pain In The Ass. Jack was grumpy, knowing that this was exactly the kind of mission he hated the most. To top it off it was in a friggin jungle – also his least favorite place to be. Jungles were hot, humid and full of creepy crawlies. He'd spent way too much of his career in jungles and had no desire to return to one.

"All I can say is you'd better find something interesting Jackson, or you're gonna owe me big time."

Daniel just grinned. He could afford to be magnanimous considering that he'd won this round. He'd gotten his way so he went out of his way to be extra nice to Jack. Not that it really mattered, he knew. Jack would hate this trip no matter what. Oh well, he'd just have to buy him a case of cold Guinness and agree to accompany him to the next hockey game. That would make up for it.

Unfortunately, to Daniel's dismay and Jack's disgust, the ruins were a bust. Oh, they were ruins all right, but there was absolutely nothing there but crumbling rocks. It turned out it had been a Goa'uld strong hold of some kind but had been deserted no more than 60 to 80 years before.

"They probably mined around here and when the Naquada ran out they left", Carter theorized. Whatever the reason, they hadn't left anything of interest behind at all.

Daniel spent a few hours looking but even he had to admit it was a wild goose chase. He looked at Jack and Sam who were both sweaty and hot looking. Glancing at Teal'c he was surprised to see that even the Jaffa looked uncomfortable. As he swatted away the millionth little bug he sighed. They might as well head back to the gate. There was nothing here for them.

"Okay", Daniel called to Jack.

"Okay?" the Colonel looked at him in confusion. "Okay what?"

"Let's go."

"Go? You want to go?" Jack was amazed. He was pretty sure this was the first time ever that Jackson had actually suggested leaving rather than being practically forced away from his 'ruins'. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. There's just nothing to see so we might as well head on back."

"You sure you're not sick or possessed by an alien or something?"

"No Jack, I'm fine! I just want to get going. I'm hot and sweaty and you were right, there's nothing to see here."

"Did you hear that Carter?"

"What Sir?" she asked, smiling.

"Daniel just said I was right. Can you please make a note of that Captain? Teal'c, did you hear that?"

"Indeed I did O'Neill. Would you like me to make a note of that as well?"

"Yeah!" He turned to the young archaeologist. "So Daniel, since I'm _right_ that must mean you were _wrong_, isn't that _right!"_

Daniel sighed heavily. "Yes Jack, you were right and I was wrong. Now, can we go?"

"All right kids, let's pack her up and get out of this place. I get first dibs on the showers!"

"Hey Sir, I thought it was women first this mission?" she grinned at her commander.

"Yeah, okay Carter, you can go first – but that's only because I was _right and Daniel was wrong!_" Sam laughed, enjoying the Colonel's good mood. Often he'd return from these missions like a bear with a sore tooth.

It took Daniel another 20 minutes to pack everything up and then they were on their way back. The Gate was about a 2 hour walk which normally wouldn't have been anything but here, on this planet, was a pain. The jungle between the Gate and the ruins was overgrown and dense. There was no clear path so they'd had to hack their way through. Branches kept thwacking them and the insect life was voracious. They were covered in insect repellent but it only worked minimally. Sam spared a thought as to whether they could catch some awful alien disease. She sincerely hoped not.

It was when they were about 15 minutes from the gate that it happened. It started with a strange rustling over to their right. At first Sam thought it was nothing more than the wind but as it continued she realized there was something there. She knew for sure when the Colonel stopped and looked at Teal'c.

"It has been following us for the last 5 minutes O'Neill", Teal'c said quietly. He was their best tracker and his symbiote enhanced hearing was extremely acute. "I cannot identlfy whether it is human."

"Yeah, me either. Let's move it folks. Whatever it is I'd rather not meet it today. I have _plans_ tonight."

Before anyone had a chance to ask the Colonel what his plans were, they heard a terrible scream from the jungle and what sounded like someone crashing through the trees. They heard a painful, gasping breath and another scream. It was at that point that Jack ordered them to run. Whatever made those sounds caused chills to run up and down the spines of all the humans. Even Teal'c appeared worried.

As soon as they began to run it was obvious that whatever it was was following them. Jack could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as it grew ever closer as they ran. He could almost feel the thing breathing down his neck, even though he could see nothing.

Thankfully he could soon hear the sounds of the Gate being dialed. One of his team had made it and had immediately worked to establish a wormhole. He'd fallen behind trying to stop or slow the creature after them. As he ran into the clearing he could see the rest of his team ready on the stairs, waiting for him. It was then he'd shouted,

"GO, GO. GO", wanting to make sure they were safe. He was right behind them, only steps away and they'd all waited until they were sure he'd make it before they stepped through. Unfortunately, they didn't count on the fact that the creature could throw. Just as Jack reached the top step, something came flying out of the jungle and cracked against his skull. He had one brief thought before he fell, unconscious.

"Shit!"

"Where is he? He was right behind us?" Daniel was practically shouting. "I would never have left him if I thought he wasn't going to make it."

"Me either Daniel", Sam said. "He was right behind us General – only a few steps back. There was no one behind him so we all thought we were safe."

"I understand Sg1. Go get yourself checked ou-"

"With all due respect, General Hammond", Teal'c interrupted, "we need to go back and look for O'Neill now. I believe he was in great danger from whatever was following us. I do not believe he has time to wait for another team."

The General looked at them for a few seconds and then nodded. "Just make sure you have what you need and then go. I'll get Sg3 to ready up and send them as backups as soon as possible. Take it easy out there – we don't know what we're dealing with."

They nodded and Sam asked if she could grab a couple of more things from the Armory. After a uick go ahead from the General she hurried down and was back in just a few minutes carrying extra weapons and explosives.

"You're sure you need those Captain?", the General asked.

"I hope not Sir, but we don't know what that creature was. I thought it was better to be safe than sorry."

He nodded and then motioned to Walter to 'dial her up son'. With a quick word to the team he wished them God speed as the Gate dialed. Ten minutes after their arrival they went back through the Gate. On the other side they found nothing.

Jack awoke to a splitting headache and severe nausea. At first he thought he was blind, but then realized that blood had run into his eyes and dried, keeping them glued shut. After he forced them open he tried to look around but it was still hard to see.

After a few minutes he realized he was in a cave. Long before that, however, he'd realized that the place stank. It was so horrible he had to continually tell himself to hold on to his lunch. The smell reminded him of something that had been kept in your fridge for way too long. He really didn't want to identify it any further than that.

The next thing he discovered was that he was tied up. His hands were tied behind his back and his feet were firmly bound together. He tried pulling with both hands and feet but whoever had tied him knew what they were doing.

After that he tried to look around the cave as much as he could with limited motion. There was really not much to see except what looked like piles of branches. He peered more closely at a pile that was a few feet away and then really had to keep from spewing. What he'd thought were branches were actually bones, lots and lots of human looking bones.

That's when he recognized what the smell was. It was the smell of rotting flesh. He remembered it from years ago when he and his unit had come on the mutilated corpses of people who'd been massacred in the Bosnian/Serbian fight. A number of the men, himself included, had thrown up after seeing and smelling the horrible discovery. The smell in the cave brought back those awful memories and also caused his heart to beat faster in fear.

Jack sometimes thought about dying. In his line of work you couldn't help but think about it. He'd always had two dreams about how he'd like to leave this mortal coil. One, he'd like to be a really old man and simply fall asleep on his dock, a fishing rod in one hand and a beer in the other and never wake up – at least not on earth. He'd like to wake up in heaven, or wherever it was, and see Charlie waiting for him. Yeah, that was the best scenario.

If that couldn't happen, then he'd want to go out in a blaze of glory. He'd like to be responsible for saving a bunch of people and sacrifice himself, knowing he'd done good. Yeah, that was another good one.

What he didn't want to happen and, in fact, something he'd never even imagined was being eaten by some creature on a planet light years from earth. No – nope – no way, that was _not_ how he wanted to die.

He continued to try and loosen his wrists and, after a long time, could begin to feel the rope give slightly. At least he thought he felt it. His wrists were so chewed up and numb at this point that he couldn't be sure but he kept on trying anyway.

Sure enough, after another few minutes, he definitely felt hem loosen. Thank God! He might just get out of this before the creature came back.

As fate would have it, the 'creature' came back at the precise moment the ropes fell from Jack's wrists and he'd leaned over to undo the ropes around his ankles.

All Jack heard was a roar and the next thing he knew he'd been violently pushed back to the ground.

"God", he groaned as he caught a whiff of the putrid smell of the animal on top of him. Before another second had passed he finally lost it – or at least lost everything he'd eaten in the last 12 hours. He threw up all over the creature, which probably pleased it no end.

Jack was still vomiting when he was severely cuffed on the head and he was rolled over. Good, he thought, at least this way I won't suffocate in my own puke! Although, as his head was pushed into the ground he had to rethink that as he continued to heave. Soon he was choking as he breathed in the dirt and vomit under his face.

Fortunately, the creature backed off after a minute or so and Jack was able to take a breath of air. He continued to choke and gasp but at least he was in no immediate danger of dying.

At least that's what he thought until his hands were again pulled behind him. This time the creature took even more ropes, and wrapped them tightly around his wrists. By the time he was finished Jack had lost all feeling in his hands. The 'thing' proceeded to wrap more ropes around his ankles and all the way up his legs to his knees. Finally, it pulled his feet back towards his hands and tied another rope attaching ankles to wrists.

"Okay, really, really uncomfortable here." He gasped. His back felt like it was breaking. He heard the – what was it? He'd only gotten a brief glimpse of the thing. He'd have to call it something other than creature. Fred! That was it, he was going to call it Fred.

Well, before anymore time had elapsed 'Fred' walked over and bent down. Jack cringed, unsure of what was happening. Fred grabbed his hair and proceeded to try and pull him to the other side of the cave. The problem with that, of course, was that Jack's hair was pretty short. Fred did manage to move him a few feet – much to Jack's dismay (damn it – that hurt!) but eventually he gave up. Instead, he reached down to the rope attaching his feet and hands and pulled Jack by that.

Jack yelled at him as it _really_ hurt. He was sure the thing had practically pulled his arm out of its socket. At the least he'd taken the skin off one whole side as he'd been dragged across the cave!

Fred left him there and then went and got some things that were on the other side of his 'cozy little home'. As he collected the items Jack got a look at him (it?) for the first time.

Fred was close to 7 feet tall (wonder if he's ever played basketball, thought Jack), and was extremely 'furry' with hair growing all over his body – except, in fact, for his face. It was completely hairless but that definitely didn't improve its' looks. Its eyes were tiny and terribly blood shot. The nose was flattened with extremely wide nostrils that had stuff hanging from them. The lips were thin but the mouth was very wide – maybe twice as wide as a human mouth – and its teeth were razor sharp. Its ears were also small and were not much more than holes in the side of its head.

As for its body – it had human like hands although they were much bigger, much hairier and much dirtier. It was naked and the thick body hair did a good job of keeping things somewhat modest – although when looked at from a certain angle it was clear that Fred was a boy.

So – some kind of primitive humanoid, thought Jack. Wonder if he'd related to the unas? Whoever or whatever it was, he was pretty sure it wasn't nice.

Fred came over to Jack carrying what looked like a primitive knife made of bone. Uh oh!

"Uh hey. I don't suppose it will do any good to tell you I come in peace? Yeah, that's right – I come in peace to meet new people – ur – creatures, and you know, sit and chat, share some food – you know, that kind of thing." He went to continue when Fred reached down and again cuffed him against the side of the head.

"Hey! Ow." He wondered if he'd lost a tooth with that last one. This thing was strong! Jack remained quiet after that, not wanting to irritate the creature any more than he already had. He was desperately trying to figure a way out of this but so far, nothing came to mind.

Fred squatted down beside Jack and reached out and touched his shirt. He didn't seem to know what it was and began pulling and tugging on it which forced Jack's arms back even further. When nothing happened Fred stuck his knife out towards the bound man in front of him.

O'Neill closed his eyes, sure he was about to meet his maker. Instead, he heard cloth ripping. Carefully opening his eyes he realized that the big guy was just cutting his shirt. He breathed a sigh of relief which changed as the monster continued. Soon Jack was sporting knicks and cuts all over his back, arms and chest from where the creature was cutting. Eventually his shirt was shredded and Fred pulled the pieces off of him. Interestingly, he stuck one of them in his mouth but quickly spat it out.

"Not good is it?' Jack asked. "Never liked eating cotton myself."

This time Fred looked at him as he spoke. The Colonel wished he could read what was going on in the creature's mind – if anything – but the look he got seemed pretty lacking in intelligence.

Fred then leaned over and began to sniff him all over. It creeped Jack out – but not nearly as much as when the thing suddenly licked him. The feel of the scratchy tongue (like a huge cat's tongue) sent shivers up his spine. God, he prayed his team would find him soon.

The next thing he knew Fred had started to hack away his pants. "Watch it there!" he practically shouted. "That's a one of a kind pair – I don't want to lose those!"

It took a while but the pants were eventually removed. His boxer shorts remained – although they were ripped – for which Jack was extremely grateful. It was silly, he knew, but he felt much less vulnerable wearing at least some clothes.

The beast returned to his little 'storage area' and rummaged around. He returned with what looked like a gourd which had been hacked open. Inside Jack could just see what looked like dried leaves. He wondered what they were.

He was soon to find out! Fred set the gourd down and picked up his bone knife. Without any more delay he began making shallow cuts across Jack's chest.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He knew they weren't terribly deep, but they were painful. As the beast continued he started to worry. Enough of these and he could bleed to death. What was the Chinese torture – death by a thousand cuts?

By the time Fed had finished with his chest and stomach Jack could feel his body start to react. He was shaking and began to feel cold. He really began to worry when he was pushed over to lie on his front, his face semi-buried in the dirt. His captor started on his back and shoulders and then down the back of the legs.

He knew he must be a bloody mess by now although he thought some of the cuts had stopped bleeding. When he was flipped back on his side – he couldn't go on his back because of the way his arms and legs were tied –Fred finished off his cutting by going down Jack's front legs to where the ropes started.

He was really starting to shake and was feeling faint. He didn't know what his captor was up to but it was looking worse and worse all the time. Thankfully, Fred put the bloody knife down and seemed to be finished with the cuts. Jack watched as he picked up the bowl of dried leaves.

"What?" he tried to jerk back as the beast began rubbing the leaves into the cuts all over his body. It not only started the bleeding again, the rubbing hurt like hell. As time went on, Jack realized that the leaves were beginning to burn. He didn't know what was in them but they were starting to hurt – a lot!

He could feel himself begin to lose awareness of what was going on. He knew he had broken out in a cold sweat and was worried that he was going into shock. The pain was excruciating now and he could hear himself begin to groan. That obviously irritated his captor as the next thing he knew a piece of his ripped shirt was jammed into his mouth.

He was trussed up like a turkey, he thought in his state of semi-consciousness. I wonder if he's going to roast me?

The Colonel was losing touch with reality and couldn't tell what was happening any more. All he knew was that he was being moved back and forth. It suddenly dawned on him that he was being wrapped tightly in something, which was then tied securely around his body.

He laughed deliriously to himself – yup – trussed and ready to roast. With that he lost consciousness.

"Do you see anything Teal'c?" Carter asked. Teal'c was silent as he studied the ground.

"Yes, there are tracks leading away from the Stargate."

"Are they Jack's?" Daniel asked hopefully.

"No. I do not see O'Neill's footprints leading away. These footprints are large and whoever made them was not wearing shoes."

"But what about the Colonel?"

"I believe he must have been carried. The person or animal who made these tracks was large and could possibly have been strong enough to lift O'Neill."

"Well then, let's follow him." Carter waved him on as he was the one who would have to do the tracking.

"It may be dangerous Captain Carter."

"Probably Teal'c. That's why we all have to be careful. You take the lead, Daniel in the middle and I'll take our six. Keep your eyes peeled guys. We don't know what this thing is capable of."

The two men nodded and they started out on their journey. They had to go back through the jungle but in a slightly different direction than the ruins, although they were close. They'd walked for over an hour and still hadn't seen any sign of Colonel O'Neill.

"Do you still see the tracks?", Carter asked softly.

"Yes indeed Captain Carter. The creature came this way recently."

"Any idea what it is? Is it human?"

"I do not know. It certainly stands upright as a human and the foot prints are similar, but it is large. I am sorry I cannot tell you more."

"Heavens, that's more than I'd be able to figure out. Let's keep going."

"I'll shoot myself if Jack's been hurt", Daniel muttered to Sam. "I was the one who made him come and then there was nothing to see. God, what if he's hurt or dead? It'll be all my fault."

"No sense thinking that way Daniel. We had no way of knowing this planet was inhabited and you know these things can happen anywhere. The Colonel won't blame you you know."

"No, I know he won't – at least, not really. He will, however, make me pay dearly."

Sam laughed gently. Yes, that's exactly what the Colonel will do, she thought. He'll never let Daniel forget this even though he wouldn't honestly blame the archaeologist for this.

"Captain Carter", Teal'c whispered voice cut through her thoughts. "There is a cave up ahead. I believe the footprints end there."

"Do you know if the creature is in there now?"

"I do not, but I will find out."

"Okay, but be careful Teal'c. We don't know what we'll find."

"I know Captain Carter. I will be careful."

"We'll cover you." She and Daniel watched as Teal'c slowly and silently inched closer to the cave. When he arrived at the entrance he stood with his body against the rock wall to the side of the cave entrance. He nodded once at Carter and then carefully stuck his head around and looked in.

He was still while his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness of the cave. Sam could tell, from the stiffening of his body, the moment he'd found something. He quickly inched away from the cave towards her.

"I believe there is something in the cave. It may be a body but I cannot tell for certain. The creature does not appear to be there. I would like to enter and see what it is inside."

"Should I come?"

"No, I believe it would be better for you to remain and watch in case it returns." She nodded, agreeing with the logic of that.

"Okay, we'll be watching. You'd better hurry."

With a simple nod Teal'c returned to the cave. He carefully entered, making sure that no one was hiding out of sight. Soon he was no longer visible to his companions.

Teal'c had seen something in the cave but what it was he couldn't quite tell. As he drew nearer he was surprised to recognize that it was a mummy – but a mummy wrapped in what looked to be leaves.

He suddenly started when he realized the head was not wrapped. The next moment he discovered that he knew that head – it was O'Neill. He rushed up to his friend and knelt down. For one brief moment he thought he was dead but he quickly felt the Colonel's neck and was relieved to feel a faint pulse.

It was only then that Teal'c felt the heat. With a soft curse in his native language, Teal'c quickly pulled the wrapped man off the coals on which he's been placed. Someone had been 'cooking' the Colonel. The leaves in which he was wrapped were burnt on the bottom and had begun to smoke. He just prayed that they'd protected O'Neill from being burnt too badly.

Knowing that time was short he reached down and picked O'Neill up and slung him over his shoulder. There was no time for first aid right now. He just prayed his friend would keep going until they could get him back to the Infirmary. By the look of his extremely pale face and shallow breathing he was not doing well.

He walked as quickly as he could out of the cave towards Daniel and Captain Carter. It was only as he got closer that they realized what – or who – it was that Teal'c was carrying.

"Oh my God, It's the Colonel", gasped Carter. "Is he alive?"

"Yes, but we must hurry. He needs medical care and I am afraid his captor may return."

"Okay, let's go." Carter and Daniel both looked worriedly at their commander. "What did it do to him?" Sam asked as they began walking.

"I believe they were cooking him."

"What!" cried Daniel. "You're kidding, right?"

" I am not. He had been placed on hot coals in order to cook him."

"Shit!" Sam muttered. "That's what I smelled. Do you think he's badly burned Teal'c?" She knew if he'd suffered bad burns they'd have to get him back really quickly or he'd go into shock and die. Burns were one of the worst things that could happen.

"I do not know. I hope the leaves will have protected him. There was no fire – just the hot coals."

"In other words, they were roasting him slowly over low heat." Daniel looked sick. What had he done? "Damn it all – I brought us to a planet of cannibals."

"Well, technically the creature probably isn't human, so it can't really be a cannibal."

"Semantics Sam", they continued to speak as they made their way back to the Gate. It was slow going with Teal'c having to carry the Colonel.

Without warning they heard screams and grunts coming from the direction of the cave. It was clearly more than one of the creatures and even more clear that they were being followed.

"We'll never make it to the Gate Sam." Daniel spoke urgently.

"I know. Look, we're close to the ruins – let's head there – there's shelter. " They turned and began to run as fast as they could with their unconscious burden, towards the ruined Goa'uld stronghold. Fortunately they had a head start over their pursuers and managed to make it there quickly.

Teal'c found one of the buildings that was in the best shape. Three walls were standing and a partial wall on the fourth side. They placed Jack on the floor and each of them dropped their packs. Sam and Teal'c took up defensive positions while Daniel began looking at his friend.

"God, what did they do to him?" he wondered. From the twisted position of Jack's body it was obvious that he'd been tied tightly before being wrapped. It was a good thing he was unconscious, thought Daniel, or otherwise he'd been very uncomfortable in this position.

"I'm gonna get rid of these leaves and stuff", he said softly to Sam.

"All right. Just keep the first aid kit close by in case he needs it right away. I'll be over as soon as I can to take a look."

Taking a pair of scissors from the kit he began to cut away the leaves. After a second he realized that was going to take forever so he grabbed his Swiss army knife. He grimaced when he saw it – it had been a present from Jack.

Carefully, so as not to cut the Colonel, he began slicing through the leaves. He pulled them off one by one and was glad to see there were a number of layers. That would have protected the Colonel a bit from the heat of the coals.

He was feeling less happy as he removed more of the covering. He could tell that the leaves were wet – and he was pretty sure it wasn't water. As he pulled the last of them away he gasped. Jack was completely covered in blood.

"Crap!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Shhh Daniel. What is it?" Sam crawled over and gasped as she saw what Daniel had seen. She took a deep breath and calmed herself, knowing that it was imperative she keep her cool. The Colonel's life depended on it.

"Can you tell where the blood is coming from?" She asked. She had to repeat her questions sharply before he snapped out of his horrified paralysis.

"What? Oh, I don't' know." He looked around but couldn't see a major wound. It was then he noticed the cuts. "God Sam, I think he's been cut all over his body."

"Yeah", she nodded, "that's what it looks like." She'd been checking as well and had also seen what looked like plants or leaves covering –and sometimes in – the cuts. "Good, let's get these ropes off of him and see what else there is."

Daniel began cutting the ropes that bound his friend but it took a while. The creature who had done this had really bound him tightly. They could see that his hands were terribly swollen and blue from lack of circulation. Finally, the ropes all came away and the Colonel flopped down at their feet.

"He looks bad Sam." With the ropes off they could see the dozens of cuts as well as the burns all along one side and some of his back, legs and arms".

"I think his shoulder is dislocated as well", she said without emotion. Daniel looked at her sharply, surprised at the seeming coldness of her voice. "I'm going to pull it back in to place. You hold him." It took a while but finally they heard a 'pop' and his arm was back.

"Okay, now for the burns. Open the first aid kit and get me some saline. I'm going to rinse him off and then we'll bandage him lightly over the burns." She worked steadily, with Daniel's help, all the while Teal'c watched to see if they'd be discovered.

By the time they were finished, Jack again looked like a mummy, although this time he was covered in white bandages He still looked extremely pale and sick but he was still with them - although Sam knew he needed serious medical treatment, real soon.

"They are coming Captain Carter", Teal'c said softly. "And I believe there are a great number of them." The three teammates and friends prepared for battle.


	2. Dinner to Go

As the natives approached Teal'c, Daniel and Sam all took up defensive positions. Sam tried one more time to reach SG3, hoping they'd arrived on the planet, but all she got was static. For now, at least, they were on their own.

The creatures, whatever they were, advanced but were quickly repelled with guns and zats. They were clearly primitive but seemed to catch on fairly quickly. They stopped their direct attack and tried to sneak in from various directions.

"Over there Daniel", Sam shouted, seeing a shadow move on Daniel's side of the small structure. He immediately began shooting and it seemed to work, at least for now.

"There are too many of them Captain Carter", Teal'c said softly.

"I know Teal'c. I think maybe it's time for some C-4." She began rummaging in her pack as soon as their attackers stopped advancing. She was pretty sure they were simply regrouping.

"They're obviously pissed we stole their supper", Daniel muttered.

"Daniel! What a horrible thing to say", Sam answered.

"But I believe it is true Captain Carter. There does not appear to be much large animal life on this planet. They must have seen O'Neill as a feast for all their people."

Speaking of O'Neill, Sam realized she hadn't looked at him in the last half hour or so. Telling Teal'c and Daniel to keep their eyes open, she wiggled over to the Colonel, only to find him waking up.

"Sir, how are you?" she asked. He turned his head and looked at her in confusion, not sure where he was or what had happened.

"Where?" he managed to get out.

"We're still on PX3 N11" When that didn't seem to mean anything she continued. "The planet with Daniel's ruins? You were kidnapped by some kind of humanoid creature."

"Fred", he murmured.

"Fred Sir?" she asked, wondering if he was delirious.

"Fred – thing that grabbed me. Think he was going to eat me."

"Yes Sir, we think so too." O'Neill looked at her in surprise. He'd been half kidding.

"When we found you the thing – uh Fred – had you roasting over hot coals. We think he went to invite his family or friends for dinner. We got you out of there but they have us surrounded. We're waiting for Sg3."

O'Neill was still feeling pretty out of it and only understood part of what his 2IC was saying. The one thing he did get was that he'd been 'roasting'. That suddenly made him realize that he hurt – all over - but especially down one side. He looked and could tell he was wrapped up in bandages from neck to feet.

"Bad?" he asked.

"You have lots of cuts Colonel – and it looked like there was something rubbed into them. They're pretty raw and inflamed and you lost a lot of blood. You also received some burns. You're gonna be okay but we need to get you back to the SGC and let Janet take a look."

"Yeah", he licked his dry lips, "sounds good Captain." His eyes began to droop.

She looked up in concern to towards Daniel. She knew the Colonel must be feeling really rotten if he wanted the Infirmary. He usually avoided it at all costs. Daniel mouthed 'morphine' to her and she wanted to smack herself. Of course! Janet had just recently added it to their first aid kits. She reached down and withdrew a vial, wondering if she should administer it if the Colonel was unconscious. Maybe she should save it for later.

"What's that Captain?" O'Neill asked faintly.

"Uh, morphine Sir. I thought you could use some."

"'kay", he said." She was really worried now. She knew how much he hated drugs so the pain must be bad. She prepared the needle and then looked at him, unsure where to inject him.

"In the hip Captain", he said, without opening his eyes. "It's the best place."

"Yes Sir", she said, trying to sound confident. There was something extremely embarrassing about having to pull the Colonel's pants down to administer the shot. She suspected that it didn't bother him in the slightest.

"Want me to do it Sam?" Daniel asked.

"No Daniel, I'm fine." She was sure she saw a slight smirk on the Colonel's face. For that Sir, here, she thought as she jabbed him. He winced and opened his eyes at her accusingly.

"Take it easy Captain."

"Sorry Sir."

"No you're not Carter. You enjoyed that. Not often ya get to poke your CO."

She blushed slightly at the innuendo and just continued on with as professional an air as possible. The man was incorrigible. Even when lying there hurt and in pain he still liked to tease.

"I think they are coming again Captain Carter", Teal'c said from his lookout point.

"Go Carter, I'll be fine. Just give me a gun." She looked at him in concern but nodded and handed him his handgun.

"Just be careful Sir", she warned. She knew the morphine could affect his judgment, and possibly his aim.

"Don't worry Carter – I haven't shot one of ours yet."

"There's always a first time Jack."

"Daniel, I suggest you pay attention to where you're shooting instead of worrying about me. I'll be just fine."

Actually, he wasn't fine, not at all. His vision kept going in and out and the room was spinning terribly. Add to that the fact that he wanted to hurl big time – and that the pain was only slightly lessened by the morphine, meant that he really shouldn't be holding a gun. On the other hand, he was horrified about the possibility of being recaptured by those things. Being on the dinner menu was definitely an invitation he planned to refuse.

It sounded like dozens of the creatures were advancing on their position. He heard shouting from his people and the next thing he knew there were a series of explosions.

Way to go Carter, he thought. He was proud of the Captain. She'd come a long way since those first few days as a bright but cocky officer. She'd gained both skills and confidence and he was glad she was in charge. Believe it or not, there were few officers, even those with more years behind them that he'd trust more than his Captain Carter.

Having Teal'c helped also. He was a true warrior and almost completely unflappable. He knew what he was doing and would protect his team until death.

Daniel – here Jack laughed to himself – a couple of years ago he would have been worried about having Daniel along. Now – well now he was a valuable member of the team. The archaeologist had turned into one heck of a soldier and he knew he could count on him as well.

Yes, he thought as he faded in and out, he couldn't have a better bunch watching his six. He just wished he could be of more help. Right now he knew he was nothing more than a burden.

"That seemed to have stopped them, at least for now." Teal'c announced.

"How many of the bloody things are there?" Daniel looked out and could see a number who'd been killed in the blast. Their comrades or family or whatever they were, just left them there. They'd retreated pretty quickly but they could still see them milling about behind the cover of the trees. What were they planning?

"Come in Sg1, Come in." The sound of her radio startled Sam but she quickly grabbed it.

"Carter here. Who is this?"

"Ferretti, Captain. I've got SG3 with me." 

"Captain Ferretti, we're trapped in a building in the ruins. We're surrounded by quite a number – I think 20 or 30 – of some kind of humanoid creature. They're primitive but strong. They have us trapped and the Colonel is hurt and needs to get back to the infirmary. Can you help?"

"Sorry Captain. We've got a bunch of these ugly guys keeping us trapped by the gate. They're in the jungle and their weapons don't reach us but if we get closer there are just too many of them. We've contacted General Hammond and have asked for reinforcements. Can you hold out for a bit longer?"

"For a while Captain, but I don't know how long. These guys are pretty determined."

"Do you know what they want?"

"Uh, yeah, we think they want the Colonel. He was their main course."

'"Say again Captain", Ferretti's confused voice came over the radio.

"They were planning on eating the Colonel and we stole him away from them. They're not too happy about it."

The silence on the radio spoke volumes. Suddenly it crackled again. "We'll be there as soon as we can Captain. Just hold on."

"Ferretti sounded determined – and pissed." Daniel commented.

"Yeah, he and the Colonel go way back. I'm glad – it'll mean he'll do everything he can to get here."

"They are coming." Teal'c announded. Daniel and Sam refocused their attention outside. For the next 10 minutes they had to continuously shoot as the enemy renewed their attack.

Jack woke up to the foul smell he remembered from the cave. Disconcerted, it took him a second to realize that one of the creatures had gotten in and was dragging him away.

"HEY!" he yelled and fumbled with his handgun. Fred 2 – another one of the creatures, simply swatted it out of his hand and continued to drag him.

"Sir!" Sam shouted. She tried to shoot the alien but was afraid she'd hit the Colonel. Both Daniel and Teal'c were in the same position. As he felt his body being scraped over fallen stones he yelled at his team.

"SHOOT HIM! Shoot him for God's sake."

Sam took careful aim and, steadying her arm, shot the alien in the head. Blood sprayed out and flew over Jack but he was dropped as the creature fell dead beside him.

"Thanks", he said shakily. Sam rushed over, feeling shaky herself.

"Are you okay Sir?"

"Yeah – much better now. Good shooting there Captain." He rolled onto his side and put his hand out. "Help me up."

"No, you need to rest Colonel."

"No can do Captain, not with these things after us. I can rest when we get home." When she didn't move he sighed, "That's an order Captain."

She reached down and took his hand and helped him to his feet. He swayed precariously but managed to hold on, both figuratively and literally as he grasped her shoulder.

"Are you sure Sir?" Sam asked. Just then they heard more of the aliens running towards their position.

"I'm sure Captain", he shouted as he pushed her towards the wall. He followed as quickly as he could and dropped down by one of the holes which had been, at one time, a window. As he began shooting out the window he grimaced as his bandages began to unravel and get in his way. With a 'yank' he pulled off the ones on his arms so that he had more freedom of movement. He avoided looking at the raw and seeping wounds. Whatever had been in those leaves had really done a number on his skin.

"I'm running out of ammunition Jack", Daniel called.

"I am as well O'Neill. Our zat'nikatel's should last slightly longer but I feel they will also run out of energy soon."

"I have one more block of C-4", called Carter, "then I'm almost out as well."

"Try calling Sg3", the Colonel said. "Tell em we need them here fast!"

By now they were only shooting when one of the 'Freds' approached. They couldn't last much longer and, unless Ferretti and his men got here they'd be toast. Jack laughed ironically – he meant that quite literally.

"They're still pinned down Colonel."

"Damn! Okay Captain, let's try a diversion. Get ready to use the explosive. As soon as it goes off, we're gonna make a run for it. We'll run in the direction of the explosion. Hopefully we'll have killed or wounded enough of them to make it."

"Do you think we can outrun them Jack?" Daniel asked, his face a picture of concern.

"We'll have to Danny."

"What about you? You're not lookin' so hot."

"And I plan to stay that way!"

It took a second for Daniel to get it and when he did he rolled his eyes. "Jack, you know what I mean. Can you run?"

"Again Daniel, I'll have to. I have no choice." He turned to the Captain. "Are you about ready? I'm on my last round."

"Yes Sir, just give me two minutes." She looked up. "Okay, ready to go."

"All right everyone, get ready. The moment the explosion goes off we're outta here. Carter, you first, then Daniel. Teal'c you're next and I'll bring up the rear."

"I do not believe that to be wise O'Neill. I would be better suited to being last."

"My team Teal'c, my decision."

"Yeah, except it's a bad one Jack. Teal'c is right – he should bring up the rear. He'll be better able to protect us." The Colonel started to speak, looking indignant, but Daniel continued. "Normally you'd be the one Jack, we all know that, but right now you're in bad shape. You can't do it."

Jack paused briefly and then nodded. He couldn't put his team in danger for some perverse sense of pride.

"Okay, I'll go after Daniel and you take our six Teal'c. All right Carter, let 'er fly."

As soon as the explosion went off the four humans burst out of the stone building and ran for their lives. The natives were momentarily stunned and many had been killed and more wounded. It didn't take long for them to regroup however and the ones who hadn't been near the explosion began following the strangers.

"Keep going", Jack panted. They'd barely been running for 5 minutes and he was about ready to pass out. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his arm and looked gratefully as Teal'c began pulling him along.

"Thanks", he panted.

"You are welcome, O'Neill." They ran for a few more metres when a cry rose from the jungle. Damn, it sounded like Sam.

"Carter", he called, "Daniel". He was met with silence. The sounds of many footsteps were moving in their direction from the front and Jack knew it was the natives. A group of them must have been waiting ahead. He prayed his two young teammates were okay.

"Teal'c, hide." He suddenly had an idea.

"O'Neill - " The big man went to argue when Jack interrupted him.

"They're gonna capture both of us", he said quickly, knowing they had little time. "If you hide you can come and get us. Quick." Teal'c nodded and dove into the underbrush, covering himself quickly. Jack kept stumbling forward until he was stopped, suddenly and violently, by a club to the side of the head.

"Urgh", he groaned as consciousness returned. He tried to move, to lessen the agony spiking through his body, but he was stopped by more than one person's hands "Wha -?" He managed to open his eyes and looked directly up into the God-awful ugly face of Fred.

"Shit!" he groaned. This time he wasn't bound but there were at least three of the beasts leaning over top of him. He tried looking around but his head was spinning so badly he couldn't see much.

"Jack?" he heard a groggy voice from the darkness of the cave.

"Yeah? That you Daniel?"

"Mmm hmm. Are you okay?"

"I think so, just another headache. How about you?"

The silence that greeted this worried him. "Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Not really."

"What happened?"

"I – it's my arm. It's broken and it's bleeding pretty badly."

"Damn. What about Carter?"

"Over here Sir." Thank God, she was alive.

"How are _you_ Captain?"

"Okay I think Sir. Just bruised up but no serious damage."

"Good. Can you see Daniel? Can you help him?"

"I can see him but I don't know if I can get close to him. The aliens are watching pretty closely."

"But you're not tied up?"

"No Sir."

"Okay, see what you can do. I think they're mostly interested in me so maybe you can figure some way out of his."

The big alien – the original 'Fred' reached down and again stuffed something in Jack's mouth. I guess they don't like their meals talking, he thought. He wanted to spit the thing out but decided that would just anger them. For now he'd put up with it. Just wait, you moron, he said to himself. I'm gonna stuff this somewhere on you and you're really not going to enjoy _that_.

He was pulled closer to the fire – shit – and they brought the gourd back. It looked like they were going to spice him up again. He tried to fight them off but two of them simply grabbed his arms and legs and held him while Fred rubbed the leaves over him again. It hurt even more this time.

He was then picked up and placed on a pile of leaves and the beasts began rolling him up like a cabbage role. This time they didn't leave his head free but wrapped it up as well. Fortunately it wasn't too tight over his face so he could breathe – although it was stuffy. Pretty soon he was completely immobilized. He knew what a mummy felt like! He was lifted again, moved a few feet, and put down on something hard. It took a few minutes before he realized that he'd been put back on the coals. It was starting to get unpleasantly warm although it wasn't hot – yet. He knew he didn't have long.

While they were preparing Jack, Sam had been able to edge closer to Daniel. When she saw the damage she couldn't help but gasp. He had a compound fracture on his forearm and it continued to drip blood.

God, she wished she had her pack. She knew she had to do something so she quickly took her shirt off and then pulled her undershirt over her head. Donning the shirt again she proceeded to rip the undershirt. It wasn't the best solution and certainly wasn't clean, but they could worry about that later. Right now she had to stop the bleeding.

Gently trying to reposition his arm (Daniel turned green and almost passed out) she was able to bind it. She then tied his arm so it was immobilized against his body. She'd just finished when she heard Daniel swear.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"They've put Jack back on the fire. We have to do something – now!"

Sam glanced over and saw the cocooned Colonel's body on the coals. She prayed he was able to breathe or it wouldn' t matter if he were cooked or not. She glanced back at Daniel, wondering what in hell they were going to do. Just at that moment she saw the Colonel move his legs. He was alive and was trying to get away from the heat.

If they could create a diversion maybe it would give him a chance to get away from the fire. She didn't think they could escape completely, but they needed to give Teal'c and hopefully Ferretti the time to rescue them.

"Daniel, we need to create a diversion. Any ideas?"

He looked around, feeling faint but knowing Jack's life depended on them doing something quickly. He looked over to the side and saw a small indent in the cave and in it a stack of some kind of 'gourds'. He figured they must be used as dishes and were waiting for their feast to be cooked.

"There" he nodded with his head. "If we can get over there we can throw them. They look pretty solid. We'll also have some protection in that space."

Sam looked over and nodded. "Can you make it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The two of them immediately began edging over to where the stack of gourds was standing. Everyone seemed to be watching their dinner cook. Sam worried as she saw smoke start to rise from Jack's body. He was still wiggling but anytime he'd move away from the fire one of the natives would simply push him back with a heavy stick.

They reached the gourds and placed themselves behind them. Sam helped Daniel to stand and, with a quick look at each other, began to lobby the gourds directly at the natives.

They were extremely hard and quite heavy so the first few actually laid out some of the creatures. Once the natives realized what was going on they began to protect themselves and to try and stop their captives from attacking them.

Just as it looked like they were going to be overrun, Sam realized that a small creature – obviously a young child – had wandered close. She ran the few feet towards him (it?) and pulled him towards her. The little one let out a terrible screech and all of the creatures stopped dead.

"Looks like they care for their young anyway", she panted. She was holding onto the little guy tightly. All of the alien creatures glared at her although one was making an awful noise and was moving back and forth.

"Must be Mommy", commented Daniel. "Keep holding him Sam. Jack is getting away."

Sam kept herself from glancing towards the Colonel, knowing she couldn't give him away. If she could keep the natives' attention on herself it might give O'Neill a chance.

Jack couldn't tell what was going on. He had been lying there, roasting, when all of sudden there was a commotion. He smiled grimly – must be his team! As soon as it started he began to try and wiggle himself off the coals. His skin was burning and he knew he didn't have long before he was a goner. Already the pain was making him want to pass out. It took a few strong kicks of his wrapped legs but he managed to get off the coals. The relief was almost immediate, although he still hurt. Now what to do?

He continued to try and thrash his body back and forth and to push his arms and legs out. He rolled around on the ground and soon began to feel his wrapping loosen. It took a few minutes – he really wondered what was happening – but the leaves finally loosened enough so he could reach up and strip them off.

He was shaking and weak but he had never been happier than to know he was alive and he could see. He reached up and pulled the filthy cloth from his mouth. It was then he saw that the attention of all the natives was on something over in the corner. As he slid to the opposite side of the cave and pushed himself to his feet he saw Carter holding a baby Fred. Daniel was beside her and everyone was totally still. They were at an impasse.

Okay O'Neill, they helped you get out of this mess, what're you going to do? He glanced around and saw the pile of weapons – spears and crude knives – over to the side. He also saw what looked like rushes in a corner. He figured those must be for light or to start a fire. He hobbled over to weapons and picked up a spear and stuck a knife in the waist of his – by now totally ripped – boxers. He then limped to the rushes and picked one up.

"Just keep them distracted guys", he murmured to himself. He couldn't believe that no one was watching him. Oh well, I guess no one expects the Thanksgiving turkey to escape either! Once he had a handful of the long rushes he walked to the coals and held them in. It took a few seconds but finally it lit on fire.

"Okay, now for the weapons." Returning to the pile he began lighting them on fire. The wooden spears caught although the fire wasn't hot enough to affect the knives. Still, it was better than nothing.

One of the natives suddenly shouted, noticing that their dinner had escaped and was now lighting the cave on fire. By this time Jack had managed to move around and light a number of other things as well. A couple of the natives rushed towards him but he held them off with the flames. They backed up really quickly, frightened.

"Ha! Don't want to be cooked eh? Yeah, believe me it's not a pleasant feeling. How you two doing Carter?" he shouted.

"Okay Sir but we're kind of stuck here."

"Yeah, I suggest you start moving towards the entrance. Just look threatening, like you're gonna hurt the little bugger. That should keep them away. I'll head that way myself." He started to move slowly, making sure no one could sneak up behind him. By this time the cave was starting to fill with smoke.

"Daniel, how ya doin'?"

"Okay Jack", Daniel's voice sounded weak but he was still standing, thank God. Jack knew he was running on adrenaline only and just prayed he could make it. He was pretty dizzy and his eyesight was all wonky.

They all began to move towards the entrance, keeping their eyes on all the natives following closely. Mama creature continued to howl and cry until one of the bigger ones – her mate probably – cuffed her. No equality here, thought Jack.

They'd almost made it but the natives were getting restless. He laughed, thinking that was very funny. A part of his mind realized he was growing delirious – somehow that was funny too. By the time Daniel and Sam could see him he had a silly grin on his face.

"Sir?" Carter asked, wondering what was happening.

"Hiya Carter. How ya doin'?"

"Uh fine Sir. We need to get out of here. I'm afraid they're going to rush us."

"Yeah. They're mean Carter – and they stink. Don't let 'em get too close."

"I won't Sir", she looked at Daniel in concern. The Colonel was sounding almost drunk. "I think he may be losing it Daniel. We've got to get out of here."

By this time they were at the entrance with the entire group in front of them. They didn't know if there were more natives on the outside or if the rest of them had returned to their own caves. It looked like there were about 20 in total in this cave, many of them women and children.

One of the larger males started to advance on Sam so she squeezed he little one's neck, just enough to scare but not hurt him. He squealed and the mother began to screech again. The large male stopped.

"Sir, you go first and then Daniel. I'll follow with the boy."

"Kay", he answered. Unfortunately he didn't move.

"Sir?" she said. Glancing at him she wondered what was wrong.

"Can't move Carter." He said faintly. "Think I'm gonna faint."

"NO SIR !" she shouted. "Don't faint. They'll grab you."

"Don't think I can help it Carter." She could barely hear him and could see that he was weaving.

"Daniel!"

"I'm on it Sam." Daniel, looking about as healthy as the Colonel, inched his way behind Sam towards O'Neill. He got there just in time to grab the burning rushes with his good hand. Unfortunately, he couldn't help the Colonel as he fell.

"Okay Sam", Daniel said as he stood over the Colonel's unconscious body. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know Daniel. I don't know!"


	3. Bringing Home the Bacon

"Saaam?"

"I'm thinking Daniel", Carter replied fiercly. She looked around at the increasingly angry natives and held on to little 'Freddy' more tightly. The little – boy's? – Mom continued to squeal and cry. "Can you wake the Colonel up?"

"I don't know. He went down like a load of bricks." Daniel squatted down carefully while keeping an eye on the big, ugly aliens. "Jack", he shook the other man. "Jack, wake up."

"Hrmph", the Colonel groaned and tried to roll over. "Ow! Damn it!" He opened his eyes into the worried ones of his resident archaeologist. "What is it Daniel?" he said with a painful looking frown.

"We need you to get up. Fred and his family aren't looking too happy and we need to get out of here."

"Oh", Jack quickly looked around, remembering where he was. "Sorry." He tried pushing himself up off the ground, with Daniel helping him with one arm. "Any sign of Teal'c?" he asked breathlessly.

"No. I don't know what happened to him." Daniel answered. They hadn't seen him since before he and Sam were captured.

"I told him to hide so he could come and get us. I expect he'll be here shortly."

"I don't think he can do anything by himself."

Jack turned and looked at the younger man. "It's _Teal'c_ Daniel. Of course he can."

"Oh, yeah, okay." They all stood quietly, the natives and humans staring at each other, no one moving except for the little guy who continued to struggle.

"Sir?" Carter said. "Ah, any ideas?"

"I think this is what's called a Mexican Standoff Carter. Try and make your way over here – and hold on tightly to the kid. He's the only thing that's keeping them from jumping us."

The men kept their eyes on the natives while Sam slowly walked to the cave entrance, holding on tightly to the little boy. He was wiggling so much, by this time, that she was afraid she was going to lose him.

"Okay Sir, what now?"

"Do I have to think of _everything_", the Colonel groused.

"Yes Jack, you do. You are our leader."

"Yeah, I know Danny", he sighed. "Just kidding. Carter here", Jack pulled the knife from his boxers and handed it over to Sam who took it carefully, not letting go of the boy. "Head outside and keep your eyes open for any hostiles waiting for you. I suggest you put the knife to his neck. It should keep them from doing anything stupid."

"Sir! I couldn't hurt him."

"Of course not Captain, but they don't need to know that. Just get going, Daniel and I will watch your rear – I mean your six!" Daniel looked at him strangely. "Hey, I'm weak from loss of blood, okay?"

They waited as Sam slowly made her way out of the cave. Mama alien was caterwauling as she watched her offspring being forced out at knifepoint. By the look of things the Daddy was ready to strangle _her_.

"Can you make it Jack?", Daniel glanced at the Colonel, concerned at how unsteady Jack seemed.

"I'll be fine Daniel, you just keep your eye on Fred there and don't let them get too close." Daniel had picked up the spear Jack had dropped and was holding it in front of him in with one hand. He'd had to drop the rushes as the flame burnt out.

"I don't think this is going to hold 'em Jack", he said as they backed out.

"It's okay. It's Sam's hold on the little guy that has them worried I think. Carter", Jack called when they'd made it out.

"Yes Sir?"

"See any more of the big ugly guys?"

"No Sir, it looks like we're alone out here. I can't see anyone."

"They may be hiding. Keep on towards the gate but watch yourself. They could be planning an ambush." He and Daniel kept moving towards Carter. The natives in the cave were following behind them. "God, don't they know when to give up and just go for Kraft Dinner instead?" Jack asked under his breath.

"They had their mouths all set for roast Colonel, Jack – KD just won't cut it."

"Ha! Little do they realize how tough I am. They'd have been much better trying to eat you."

"Me? Why me?" Daniel asked, keeping his eye on the slowly advancing natives.

"Cause you're a geek. Everyone knows geeks are more tender."

"Geeks are _tender_?"

"Yeah. I bet you cried at Disney movies, didn't you?"

Daniel knew that Jack was just trying to keep him calm – and himself from passing out – so he played along. Sometimes the man amazed him. Here he was, hurt and in pain, being chased by aliens who wanted to _eat_ him and he was talking about Disney movies.

"So? I bet you did too Jack. Don't tell me you didn't cry when Bambi's mother was killed?"

"Only when I was five Jackson."

"Yeah, so me too. And I'm _not_ a geek."

"Sure you are – and I love ya for it Daniel. But I still say you're much more tender than I am."

"You may have a tough exterior Jack, but we all know that inside you're soft as a marshmallow."

"Ha", Jack laughed and then bent over, hurting. "Don't make me do that Daniel. A marshmallow! If you ever say that in front of the Marines I'll have to inflict severe pain and torture on you."

"Sir. I'm at the tree line now. What should I do?"

"Any sign of Teal'c?"

"Not that I can see. I can't see anyone else either. Should I keep going?"

Jack looked back at the very angry – and big – aliens who were following them. He couldn't help but see those huge mouths and sharp teeth and felt a shiver run up and down his spine. "Wait for us Captain and we'll all go together. Daniel, you need to keep a sharp eye out. Carter has the kid and I'm not at my best. Now's the time to prove you're not just a geek."

"Will do", answered Daniel seriously. "Don't worry Jack, you can count on me."

"I know I can Daniel", the Colonel answered, equally as seriously. "You wouldn't be on my team otherwise."

Daniel felt a warm feeling at Jack's words. It was not very often that the Colonel gave such overt praise. He tucked the words aside for now, knowing he'd revisit them later. He also knew he'd hold this over Jack's head for a long time to come.

"Okay, move it Jackson." He nodded and headed out, keeping a close eye on any possible movement from the trees.

They had just about reached the point where Sam was standing when a terrifying noise split the calmness of the afternoon. The natives cried out in terror and a number of them turned and ran back into the caves, leaving only a few of the males outside. The humans looked around carefully, unsure of what was happening.

Suddenly a huge and terrifying beast ran out from behind the trees. None of the humans had seen anything like it. It was the size of a small elephant but much thinner and more agile. It bounded on its four legs like a cat but it's head looked like some kind of mutant dinosaur. Its paws were huge and they could see the tips of very sharp, very long claws.

"RUN!", shouted Jack. He could see Sam make a beeline for the jungle. Daniel and Jack both started running but stopped in horror as the creature ran towards Sam, it's intent clear.

"RUN, RUN", Jack screamed. He tried to get the attention of the beast, as did Daniel, but it was determined on reaching Sam and her burden. Jack bent down and picked up a branch and hurled it at the beast just before it got to her. With a roar it turned around, looking for the creature that had dared disturb it.

Unfortunately, it caught site of Daniel first. The archaeologist came to a screeching halt as the beast slowly moved towards him.

"Daniel, back away slowly."

"Yeah", Daniel breathed softly. Daniel started to move away from the animal when it suddenly charged. He took off running but hadn't gone more than a few feet when it caught up to him. Fortunately, it butted him with its head rather than using its claws but the force was such that he went flying into a tree. There was a loud 'smack' and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

The animal immediately turned back to Sam. For some reason he seemed intent on catching her. By this time she'd made it into the tree line but it was agile enough to follow. With a mighty scream it caught up to her.

With one quick look at Daniel – and praying he was alive – Jack had taken after the beast. He arrived in time to see it bend down, it's jaws wide, saliva dripping from its fangs. He shouted "NO" but it ignored him. Sam had let go of the young native boy and had shooed him out of the way. He ran back towards the cave, screaming something (probably for his Mama, thought Jack).

Jack stood, trying to distract the beast, which looked like it was going to devour Carter, when it stopped and turned. Without a pause it leapt away from Sam and followed the screaming youngster. He hadn't gone more than a few steps when it reached down and grabbed the boy in its jaws and started to lope off.

Oh God, thought Jack, it's going to eat the boy. He knew he was crazy, that he should just check on Daniel and then get the heck out of here but something inside wouldn't let him. The beast had stolen a _child_ for God's sake. He couldn't let anyone lose their son, even aliens who were trying to eat him.

With a quick shout to Carter to 'check on Daniel', he turned and followed the animal, adrenaline keeping him going. The animal had paused briefly when it reached the clearing in front of the cave, and looked around at the natives gathered there. The boy's mother was crying and trying to run after the beast but she was was being held back by some of the males.

The animal turned and began to skulk off, it's wiggling pray still in its mouth. Fortunately it didn't look like it had bitten down too deeply and the boy seemed more terrified than hurt.

Jack retrieved Daniel's fallen spear and ran behind the animal. With a quick and hard thrust he stabbed it in its rear end. With a wounded roar the beast dropped the boy and turned on Jack, the spear sticking out of its hind end.

There was a brief pause when Jack knew he was looking at death. The red, gleaming eyes of the animal shone with vicious hatred and he knew he'd gone from being roasted to being eaten alive.

The animal pounced before he could move a muscle and he felt his shoulder grabbed in the jaws of the animal. He could feel the razor sharp fangs pierce his skin and he yelled -but it simply turned and headed with him towards the jungle. As much as he struggled, he couldn't get loose.

The next second he was enveloped in the painful, yet familiar, lights and crackles of a zat gun. The beast dropped him and then fell itself – unfortunately right on top of him.

Oh great, he thought as he rode out the zat discharge, now I'm going to suffocate!

By the time the animal had been dragged off of him he was almost unconscious. The effects of the day plus this latest fight, had taken just about everything out of him.

"Are you all right O'Neill?" one of his favorite voices asked.

"Mmmm", he replied, "Dnl?"

"Daniel Jackson is being looked after by Captain Carter. He appears to be stunned but alive."

"Gu" he gasped. His shoulder was killing him now, on top of everything else.

"We will bind your shoulder O'Neill, in a minute." He could sense some movement and looked out of his bleary eyes. Teal'c had stood up and seemed to be facing away from him. He tried to roll over to see what was happening but felt incredibly dizzy and closed his eyes.

The next thing he knew, he was being pulled to his feet. At that he managed to open his eyes but groaned when he saw Fred – and Fred 2 – holding him up. Damn, it had all been for nothing!

He was pulled back into the cave and put down on the ground. Expecting to have more of the damn herbs rubbed into him – or to be wrapped up in some of the leaves, he was surprised when he felt something moist pressing on his shoulder. He couldn't help but groan with pain. Immediately the pressure eased a bit.

"Take it easy Colonel. We're just trying to stop the bleeding and then we're going to bandage your shoulder."

"No", he struggled to move away but hands stopped him. "Don't – eat me!" he managed to get out.

"Don't worry Sir, I won't eat you." Carter's voice said. He was sure he imagined her "not now at any rate."

"Rest O'Neill, everything is fine." He tried to tell what was happening but all he could see, when he opened his eyes, was Fred. As he passed out, the last thing he thought was that he hoped he gave them all heartburn!

"How is Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.

"He's okay I think, although he needs medical care. That arm is in bad shape and I'm pretty sure he has a concussion."

"And O'Neill?"

"He's in worse shape, I'm afraid. That animal really tore up his shoulder. The wound is still bleeding although it's slowing down. We need to get him back."

"Major Ferretti is arriving soon with Sg's 2 and 3. He informed me that they are bringing stretchers."

"The natives didn't stop them?"

"No, I believe one of the ones from here went and spoke to them. They are allowing them through."

"I hope it's not a trick Teal'c."

"I do not believe it is Captain Carter. I believe the mother of the young boy O'Neill saved would be very angry and I do not think the tribe wishes her to be upset again."

"No", she laughed, "Her crying was enough to drive anyone insane."

"Indeed."

As Sam tended to the two wounded men she couldn't help but glance around at the natives who, a few minutes ago, were intent on capturing them and eating the Colonel. Now, because of O'Neill's heroic save of the boy they were being treated as guests.

She looked down at the white face of her Commanding Officer and sighed. She knew the Colonel's story, how he'd lost his only son. Who would have figured that a tragedy like that – and his inability to see any other parent suffer – would one day mean their lives? He certainly had the luck of the Irish, she thought, smiling.

The smile faded quickly, however, as she thought about the shape he was in and the need to get him back to the Infirmary. Feeling his burning forehead she knew infection had set in and he needed some of Janet's strong medicines. She finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard voices – human, American voices, coming through the jungle.

"Captain?" Ferretti's voice rang out.

"Over here Major", she replied.

He carefully made his way into the cave, gun at the ready. "Are you guys okay? The natives suddenly seemed to welcome us in", he said in a confused voice.

"I'm okay but the Colonel and Daniel are hurt. We need to get them back home, and quickly."

"Ah – sure. You positive they're gonna let us go?" he looked around at the very scary looking aliens.

"I think so. The Colonel saved one of their kids so now we seem to be 'friends'."

"Sounds like somethin' O'Neill would do", he nodded, unsurprised. He had known Jack for a lot of years. He turned around and shouted at his men to come. "Get the Colonel and Daniel Jackson loaded on the stretchers and then we're heading home – quickly." He watched as they gently loaded the wounded men and then started out towards the gate.

Teal'c and Carter remained behind for a moment and looked at the creature who seemed to be in charge as well as the other natives.

"Thank you", Sam said softly, gesturing to the retreating soldiers. The mother of the young boy stepped forward and made a gesture – they assumed it meant 'thank you' and she handed them a leather bag filled with something. Sam took a quick look and realized it was the herbs they'd rubbed into Jack.

"These must be special", she said to Teal'c softly. She then smiled at the woman and slowly turned and began walking away. She resisted the temptation to look behind her but after a few minutes it appeared as if they'd gotten away safely.

It took them almost an hour to get to the gate and she monitored the Colonel and Daniel carefully. Daniel seemed okay but the Colonel got steadily worse as they walked. It was with huge relief that they finally arrived at the gate.

"Dial her up Strohman", Ferretti yelled. They all waited until the blue of the event horizon formed and then the men carrying the stretchers walked through first, followed by the others.

Hammond watched carefully as the gate dialed and the wormhole formed. He grimaced when he saw SG3 carrying in a stretcher with a man on it. Looking closely, he wasn't surprised to see his 2IC. He was even less surprised to see the second stretcher carrying Dr. Jackson. If any two men could get into trouble it was those two!

"How are they?" he asked.

"Alive Sir", one of the men holding the stretchers answered. "Other than that I don't know."

"Okay, get 'em to the Infirmary quickly. He watched as more of his people came through the gate.

He was relieved to see the rest of his men and women return safely, although slightly worn looking. He leaned down into the mike. "Get checked out and cleaned up. When you have a chance Major, Captain, I'd like to hear what went on."

Carter and Ferretti nodded and answered and then both made their way to the Infirmary.

"Daniel's fine", Janet had come out to speak to them after what seemed like hours. "Dr. Warner fixed his arm in surgery – it needed a pin - it should be fine with a little physical therapy. He has a mild concussion – and he's going to have a bad bruise and black eye. Other than that he's okay. I'll keep him in a few days but he should be good as new."

"Janet, what about the Colonel?"

At this the good doctor looked a little less pleased. "He's in worse shape than Daniel. The cuts themselves weren't too bad although a few of them needed stitches. The problem was that whatever it was they rubbed into them caused an infection. We're fighting it with a broad-spectrum antibiotic but so far it doesn't seem to be working. I'm going to try a few things and hopefully one of them will work." She rubbed her eyes in tiredness.

"Other than that, he has some pretty severe burns down his left side. We're watching them carefully but hopefully they'll be okay. We're going to have to do a couple of skin grafts but barring infection they should be fine eventually."

"What about his shoulder?" Sam asked.

Janet grimaced. "I'd like to see the animal that did that! The wounds from the teeth were deep and did some muscle damage. I cleaned them out as carefully as I could and Dr. Warner sewed him up. He'll need therapy as well and, here again, the big issue is infection. Animal bites can be bad."

"But he'll be okay, won't he?" she asked, concerned.

"He's tough Sam. I'm sure he'll make it through this just fine although it may get a little rough. Right now, I need you to go talk to the General and then rest. There's nothing you can do right now."

Sam bit her lip, not wanting to leave her teammates, but finally agreeing when Teal'c said he'd stay and watch over them. "I will come and get you Captain Carter, if they should awaken."

She nodded and headed up first to see the General – and then to collapse.

Over the next 24 hours Jack's fever got higher and higher until Janet had to resort to ice baths to keep him from going into shock. She hated to do it with his wounds but there was little choice. She had to figure out how to beat this infection.

It was the day after they'd all returned from the planet when Sam realized she'd made a huge mistake. Rushing down to the Infirmary she practically threw the bag of herbs to Janet.

"I'm so sorry Janet. I should have given this to you yesterday but I totally forgot about it!"

"What is it Sam?" Janet asked, looked puzzled at the object in her hand.

"It's the herbs – the plants they rubbed into the Colonel's cuts. It must be what's causing the infection."

Janet's face cleared as she looked down at what she was holding but then a small frown appeared. "I'll check them out – but it's just as likely to be from the knife they used." The doctor didn't want to get anyone's hopes up!

After the lab techs had finished it became clear that the herbs could, indeed, have caused the infection. They were able to quickly determine the active ingredients and devise treatment for the Colonel. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when his fever began to come down.

It was almost a week later before he was well enough to stay awake for long. It had been a grueling recuperation and he was feeling grumpy. He'd never really had to deal with burns before and discovered they were really crappy; much worse than bullet holes.

"When can I get outta here Doc?" he complained. He wanted to go home and lie around and enjoy his misery rather than having to put up with everyone, from nurses to his team of nannies!

"Soon Colonel. But I'm afraid you'll have to come back in a couple of weeks for a skin graft."

"Ah, come on. I don't really need one of those, do I?"

"Only if you want to be returned to active duty Colonel." Janet replied calmly. "Without a graft your skin is too susceptible to tears and infection. You couldn't be in a field unit any more."

He had nothing to say to that but continued to complain. He was about to drive her insane. That's why, when Sg1 came by to see him, en masse, she was pleased and made her escape.

"So Jack", said Daniel cheerfully. He was still sporting quite a shiner, and had his arm in a cast. It looked to Jack like most of the women on base had signed the damn thing. It was even sporting little flowers and hearts.

"Nice cast Daniel", he smirked. Daniel looked at the cast calmly and smiled.

"You're just jealous Jack", he answered.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Okay you two", Sam interrupted, laughing. "How are you feeling Sir?" she asked calmly, turning to her CO.

"Just hunky dorey. By the way – you did good out there Captain."

She blushed at the unexpected praise. "Thank you Sir, although I think we all did well."

"That we did. Teal'c, I don't know if I thanked you for coming to the rescue in the nick of time. I was really afraid I was going to be on the menu _again_."

"You are welcome. When I agreed to come to earth it was to serve at O'Neill's side. I did not wish for a side of O'Neill."

Jack stared at him for a second, not quite sure whether he'd heard the man make a joke or not. With a slow grin he finally decided that yes, his Jaffa friend had, indeed, made a joke.

"Way to go Teal'c!" he said. His friend just nodded his head once, in response

"So, you kids come to spring me outta here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Colonel. Janet would have our heads if we tried. She did say that she thought you could get out tomorrow as long as one of us stayed with you for the first few days."

"Are you volunteering Captain?" he asked jovially. He enjoyed watching his Captain blush.

"No Sir", she answered, looking uncomfortable. "Daniel has agreed to stay at your place. I did offer to help though.

"Help?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yes, we decided that in honor of your homecoming we're going to have a luau."

"A _luau_?"

"Yes Colonel – you know – we're going to roast a really big animal over hot coals and then eat it." She grinned. "And you're our guest of honor Sir."

He started at her for a second and then put his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. "Over my dead body Captain. Over my dead body."

_**The End**_

_**There, I did it – a 'no-ship' story! It was difficult and I'm afraid I won't be able to handle doing another one for a while! I hope you enjoyed this little adventure. Thanks for all the reviews – I love you guys!**_


End file.
